"Certainly, if someone wanted to introduce malware on a laptop through phishing or another cyber intrusion technique, a camera takeover is possible," says David Szuchman, Chief of Investigation Division, Manhattan District Attorney's Office. "Putting tape over the camera is a prophylactic measure that may not be necessary for the majority of the population, but can be effective in preventing unwanted and illegal surveillance."

Brandon Webb, former Navy SEAL and founder of SOFREP.com, agrees. "I have lots of friends in the intelligence community, particularly those who do covert work, and they all seem to agree that developing habits like these are worth the time. Our mobile phones and computers are always susceptible to hackers, especially when we travel and use open Wi-Fi networks."

The risks are real, says Kip Boyle, founder and president of Cyber Risk Opportunities. "Whether you're a curious adolescent or an online criminal, either small time or big time, you can use any of a number of Remote Administration Tools (RATs) to turn on someone's webcam without them knowing."

Boyle explains that hackers first trick someone into downloading the RAT, usually by visiting a malicious URL. They can then connect to the RAT on victims' computers and turn on the webcam. "Once you have access via a RAT, there are almost no limits to what you can do to or with their computer," Boyle warns.

So what's the takeaway here? Check to see if Home Depot is having a sale on masking tape this week and cover up that webcam.

Dan Bova

Dan Bova is the editorial director of all digital content at Entrepreneur.com. He previously worked at Jimmy Kimmel Live, Maxim and Spy magazine. He currently writes a weekly humor column for The Journal News.